Louise of Hesse-Kassel
Encyclopedia
Louise of Hesse (7 September 1817 – 29 September 1898) was a German Princess and (from 15 November 1863) the queen consort to King Christian IX
of Denmark
.
, but lived in Denmark from the age of three and had Danish ancestry. In the political and dynastic conflicts that raged in Denmark during her lifetime she consistently found herself in opposition to German nationalism and protective of Danish interests mainly due to her upbringing and rank within the kingdom of Denmark.
She was a daughter of Prince William of Hesse
and Charlotte of Denmark (1789–1864). Her mother, a Princess of Denmark, saw her become Hereditary Princess of Denmark and then Queen of Denmark. Louise's paternal grandparents were Prince Frederick of Hesse
, youngest brother of William I, Elector of Hesse
, and Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen
; her maternal grandparents were Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
and Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway, sometime Regent of Denmark and Norway and youngest son of King Frederick V of Denmark
.
As a niece of King Christian VIII
, who ruled Denmark between 1839 and 1848, Louise was very close to the succession after several individuals of the royal house of Denmark who were elderly and childless. As children, her brother Frederik Wilhelm, her sisters and she were the closest relatives of King Christian VIII who were likely to produce heirs. It was easy to see that the agnatic
succession from King Frederick III of Denmark would probably become extinct within a generation. Louise was one of the females descended from Frederick III of Denmark
, and she enjoyed the remainder provisions of the succession (according to the Semi-Salic Law) in the event that his male line became extinct. She and her siblings were not agnatic descendants of the House of Oldenburg
and the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein
, thus ineligible to inherit the twin duchies, since there existed a number of agnatic lines eligible to inherit those territories.
in Copenhagen
on 26 May 1842 to her second cousin Prince Christian
of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg. He was soon selected as hereditary prince of Denmark and later ascended the throne of Denmark as King Christian IX). The marriage greatly strengthed Christian's efforts to secure the Danish throne, since it joined two competing claimants whose children would have an enhanced connection to the ancient bloodlines of the Danish monarchy.
Through his father, Christian was member of a junior male branch of the House of Oldenburg
(he was a direct male-line descendant of Christian III of Denmark
). He was also an agnatic descendant of Hedwig of Schauenburg (countess of Oldenburg), mother of the first King Christian I of Denmark
, whose sons were the "Semi-Salic" heirs of her childless brother Count Adolf VIII of Holstein
, who died in 1459, the last Schauenburg Duke of Schleswig and Count of Holstein. As such, Christian was eligible to succeed in the twin duchies of Schleswig-Holstein
, but was not first in the line.
Christian was also a great-grandson of King Frederick V of Denmark
, through his mother Louise Caroline, Duchess of Lyksborg, whose mother Luise (Landgravine of Hesse) was King Frederik's third daughter. Christian, orphaned young, grew up in the Danish royal household under the tutelage of his maternal aunt Queen Marie Sophie Frederikke, wife of Frederick VI of Denmark
.
The Crown Prince and the Hereditary Prince were the only surviving agnatic
heirs. After them, provisions of the succession order (Lex Regia of 1655) promulgated by Frederick III allowed succession through female line, and the law presumably specified in favor of closest relative of the last monarch.
The female lines following are arranged according to the degree of proximity to the reigning monarch, King Christian VIII:
All other cognatic heirs were descendants of deceased Princesses of Denmark, themselves members of other dynasties, and rather alien to Denmark. Ancestresses of many of them had renounced their rights when marrying "abroad". Some of closest of those lines were the following:
After them, the next cognatic heirs would have been descendants of daughters and younger sons of predecessors of Frederick V.
There were three thriving young families with chief potential to inherit the throne of Denmark and had children to continue the line of succession. These three families were, in order of proximity with the reigning monarch, the Hesse, the Augustenborg, and then the Lyksborg families. Only two of the families (Augustenborg and Hesse) had mothers who were Princesses of Denmark. Two of these, however, i.e. Augustenborg and Lyksborg, were agnatic descendants of ancient kings of Denmark.
They were the issue of Louise Auguste of Denmark
, sister of Frederick VI:
1. Christian (aka Christian August), Duke of Augustenborg, born in 1798 in Copenhagen. In 1820 he married Countess Lovisa-Sophie Danneskjold-Samsøe (1797–1867), a Danish noblewoman and relative of the kings of Denmark who belonged to a bastard branch of House of Oldenburg. Duke Christian, who in 1848 became a rebel, later sold his rights to the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein to Denmark in aftermath of the Treaty of London (1851), but later renounced his rights to the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein in favor of his son Frederick August. He was the brother-in-law of King Christian VIII and a nephew of King Frederick VI. Duke Christian August died in 1869. He produced several children:
2. Friedrich Emil August, born in 1800 in Kiel. In 1829 he married Countess Henriette Danneskjold-Samsøe (1806–1858), a Danish noblewoman and relative of Kings of Denmark who belonged to a bastard branch of House of Oldenburg. Later, he was created Prinz von Noer (1864) and died 1865. He had two children:
3. Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, born in 1796 in Copenhagen. She married King Christian VIII of Denmark
in 1815, the monarch, who died in 1848. She died childless in 1881 as the Queen Dowager of Denmark.
1. (Karl, Carl) Charles, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
, born in Gottorp in 1813. In 1838 he married Princess Wilhelmine of Denmark
(see above). He died childless in 1878 in Luisenlund
.
2. Frederick (Friedrich), Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
(Schleswig 1814–Schleswig 1885), who married Princess Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe
. The current Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein descend from him.
3. William (Wilhelm) (1816–1893)
4. Christian (1818–1906), who in the 1840's became Hereditary Prince of Denmark (though his brothers did not become such) and in 1863 became King Christian IX of Denmark. He married Louise of Hesse-Kassel in 1842.
5. Julius (1824–1903)
6. Johann (Hans) (1825–1911)
7. Nikolaus (1828–1849)
8. Louise Marie Frederikke (1810–1869), married a Mr von Lasperg in 1837.
9. Frederikke Caroline Juliane (1811–1902), married the Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg in 1834.
10. Luise (1820–1894)
1. An only son Frederik (Friedrich Wilhelm Georg Adolf, Landgrave of Hesse) who was born in 1820 in Kassel. In 1851, he renounced his rights to Denmark in favor of Louise. He later married twice, and with his second wife Anna of Prussia produced several children, beginning in the 1850's. He died in 1884. His one son was Frederick Charles, Elected King of Finland
2. Marie Louise Charlotte, born in 1814 in Copenhagen. In 1832 he married a Prince of Anhalt-Dessau. She died in 1895 leaving children and grandchildren. She is said to have renounced her rights to Denmark to Louise in 1851 at the latest.
3. Louise Wilhelmine Frederikke Caroline Auguste Julie, i.e. Louise herself.
4. Auguste Sophie Frederikke Marie Caroline Julie, who was born in 1823 in Copenhagen. She later married a Scandinavian nobleman, Baron Blixen-Finecke. She died 1873.
Louise's brother Frederik of Hesse renounced his rights to the Danish succession in 1851 in favor of Louise, as put by Danish historians: "after lengthy negotiations where their father William took active part". Frederik succeeded in 1875 as the head of House of Hesse
, when the senior branch of Hesse-Kassel went extinct with the death of the former monarch Frederick William, Elector of Hesse
– they assumed the historical name "of Hesse and Brabant". Landgrave Frederik's third son Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse was in 1918 elected as King of Finland.
(who was the first hereditary monarch of Denmark – before him the kingdom was officially elective). The agnatic
descendants of Frederick III became extinct when Frederick VII died, and at that point, the succession law promulgated by Frederick III provided for succession by male-preference primogeniture
. Different camps, within and without Denmark, supported different candidates for the throne. The question was solved by an election and a separate law to confirm the new successor.
Some rights belonged also to the line of Glucksburg, a cadet branch
of the royal Oldenburg dynasty. They were also heirs of Frederick III through an ancestress who was a daughter of King Frederick V of Denmark
. Moreover they were eligible to succeed to the Duchy of Holstein, which meant the twin duchies of Schleswig-Holstein. Prince Christian was of this lineage, but not the eldest son, nor did the claim of this branch to either Denmark or Holstein place them first in line for any throne.
Still, Prince Christian had been a foster "grandson" of the sonless royal couple Frederick VI and his queen, Marie (Marie Sophie Frederikke of Hesse), thus he was known to the royal court and familiar with the traditions of recent monarchs. Christian was a great-nephew of Queen Marie and a descendant of a first cousin of Frederick VI. He was brought up as Danish, having lived in Danish-speaking lands of the royal dynasty, and was not attached to Germany. Although these factors meant nothing legally, they made Christian an attractive potential candidate for the throne from the Danish viewpoint.
Louise's father, Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Kassel, a non-reiging German prince, had chosen to become a Danish military officer. He had been one (and perhaps the foremost) of the candidates considered by Christian VIII of Denmark to succeed to the Danish throne if the latter's male line died out. Landgrave Frederick was of nearly Danish upbringing, having lived all his life in Denmark.
When Christian wed Louise, daughter of one of the closest female relatives of Frederick VII, the marriage combined two potential claims to Denmark's throne and strengthened both. As a niece of King Christian VIII
, Louise was not the rightful heir to his crown, but had a stronger claim to it than either Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg or the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. As Louise and Christian had married, Louise's mother, brother, and elder sister, all princes and princesses of Hesse
, renounced their Danish succession rights in favour of Louise and her husband. Prince Christian's wife thus became the closest female heiress of Christian VIII, and later of Frederick VII.
In 1847, Prince Christian was, with the approval of Europe's Great Powers, chosen as successor to the Danish throne by Christian VIII (who did not expect his only surviving son, the future Frederik VII
, to father dynastic sons). This choice of heir was made more dynastically palatable by the fact that, thanks to the mass renunciations of the Hesses, Christian's wife Louise became the heiress eventual to the crown, meaning that the couple's children would be heirs to the throne both by right of international treaty and by compliance with the Lex Regia. This resolved the succession to the Danish crown, but not Denmark's claim on the twin duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. German Holstein's historic law of succession was Salic and could not so easily be reconciled with Christian's claim so long as the Augustenborgs survived and Prussia
offered itself as the international champion of German nationalism. The result of this conflict was the (Second War of Schleswig
).
When Frederick died in 1863, Christian took the throne as Christian IX
she did not approve of. Her own marriage is believed to have been happy, and the couple became strongly attached to each other during the years of succession struggle. Louise was devoutedly loyal to her spouse, and he is said to have relied on her intelligence, judgment and psychological strength, all of which were considered to be superior to his own.
The couple continued the simple and intimate family life they had grown accustomed to after they became king and queen. When Louise's daughter Thyra gave birth to an illegitimate child after her relationship with a military officer in 1871, Queen Louise arranged for the whole affair to be kept a secret from the public. Queen Louise lived a life isolated from the people and did not seek recognition from, or a relationship with, the public, but rather focused on energetic family politics, and made much effort in arranging dynastic marriages for her children. The brilliant matches arranged for her children gave the Danish dynasty international status. Her annual family gatherings at Bernstorff or Fredensborg drew more attention every year and made her a popular symbol of family life.
Louise was active as a patronnes of a large number of charitable organisations already as a crown princess: in 1862, she founded Louisestiftelsen, where orphan girls were brought up to a life as servants, something which illustrated her conservative ideas. She was interested in music and painting and financed many artists. Some of her own paintings were exhibited and given as gifts to members of other dynasties. During her last years she became deaf, and two nurses from a nursing school she had founded saw to her needs. Louise was Queen of Denmark for 35 years, longer than any other Danish queen consort before her.
Louise had six children with Christian:
The great dynastic success of Louise's six children was to a great extent not the accomplishment of Christian IX himself, but a result of her own ambitions. Some have compared her dynastic capabilities with the those of Queen Victoria.
On her passing in 1898, she was interred in Roskilde Cathedral
near Copenhagen.
Louise's nephew Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse, married to a granddaughter of Queen Victoria and of German Emperor Wilhelm I, was elected King Charles of Finland in 1918. He never took up the position.
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Christian IX of Denmark
Christian IX was King of Denmark from 16 November 1863 to 29 January 1906.Growing up as a prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a junior branch of the House of Oldenburg which had ruled Denmark since 1448, Christian was originally not in the immediate line of succession to the Danish...
of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
Early Life and Ancestry
Louise of Hesse was a descendant of an ancient German princely family, the Landgraves of HesseRulers of Hesse
This is a list of rulers of Hesse during the history of Hesse on west-central Germany. These rulers belonged to a dynasty collectively known as the House of Hesse and the House of Brabant, originally the Reginar...
, but lived in Denmark from the age of three and had Danish ancestry. In the political and dynastic conflicts that raged in Denmark during her lifetime she consistently found herself in opposition to German nationalism and protective of Danish interests mainly due to her upbringing and rank within the kingdom of Denmark.
She was a daughter of Prince William of Hesse
Prince William of Hesse
Landgrave William of Hesse-Kassel , son of Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Cassel and Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen....
and Charlotte of Denmark (1789–1864). Her mother, a Princess of Denmark, saw her become Hereditary Princess of Denmark and then Queen of Denmark. Louise's paternal grandparents were Prince Frederick of Hesse
Prince Frederick of Hesse
Landgrave Frederick III of Hesse-Kassel , born Prince Frederick of Hesse, was a younger member of the dynasty that ruled the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel and a Danish general....
, youngest brother of William I, Elector of Hesse
William I, Elector of Hesse
William I, Elector of Hesse was the eldest surviving son of Frederick II, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Mary of Great Britain, the daughter of George II.-Early life:...
, and Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen
Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen
Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen was the elder daughter of Karl Wilhelm, Prince of Nassau-Usingen, and wife of Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Kassel.-Early life:...
; her maternal grandparents were Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin was a Princess and Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and by marriage Princess of Denmark.-Family, early life:...
and Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway, sometime Regent of Denmark and Norway and youngest son of King Frederick V of Denmark
Frederick V of Denmark
Frederick V was king of Denmark and Norway from 1746, son of Christian VI of Denmark and Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.-Early life:...
.
As a niece of King Christian VIII
Christian VIII of Denmark
Christian VIII , was king of Denmark from 1839 to 1848 and, as Christian Frederick, king of Norway in 1814. He was the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway and Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, born in 1786 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen...
, who ruled Denmark between 1839 and 1848, Louise was very close to the succession after several individuals of the royal house of Denmark who were elderly and childless. As children, her brother Frederik Wilhelm, her sisters and she were the closest relatives of King Christian VIII who were likely to produce heirs. It was easy to see that the agnatic
Agnatic seniority
Agnatic seniority is a patrilineal principle of inheritance where the order of succession to the throne prefers the monarch's younger brother over the monarch's own sons. A monarch's children succeed only after the males of the elder generation have all been exhausted...
succession from King Frederick III of Denmark would probably become extinct within a generation. Louise was one of the females descended from Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He instituted absolute monarchy in Denmark and Norway in 1660, confirmed by law in 1665 as the first in western historiography. He was born the second-eldest son of Christian IV of Denmark and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg...
, and she enjoyed the remainder provisions of the succession (according to the Semi-Salic Law) in the event that his male line became extinct. She and her siblings were not agnatic descendants of the House of Oldenburg
House of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a North German dynasty and one of Europe's most influential Royal Houses with branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Russia, Greece, Norway, Schleswig, Holstein, Oldenburg and Sweden...
and the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, thus ineligible to inherit the twin duchies, since there existed a number of agnatic lines eligible to inherit those territories.
Marriage to Her Cousin
Louise was married at the Amalienborg PalaceAmalienborg Palace
Amalienborg Palace is the winter home of the Danish royal family, and is located in Copenhagen, Denmark. It consists of four identical classicizing palace façades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard ; in the centre of the square is a monumental equestrian statue of Amalienborg's...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
on 26 May 1842 to her second cousin Prince Christian
Christian IX of Denmark
Christian IX was King of Denmark from 16 November 1863 to 29 January 1906.Growing up as a prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a junior branch of the House of Oldenburg which had ruled Denmark since 1448, Christian was originally not in the immediate line of succession to the Danish...
of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg. He was soon selected as hereditary prince of Denmark and later ascended the throne of Denmark as King Christian IX). The marriage greatly strengthed Christian's efforts to secure the Danish throne, since it joined two competing claimants whose children would have an enhanced connection to the ancient bloodlines of the Danish monarchy.
Through his father, Christian was member of a junior male branch of the House of Oldenburg
House of Oldenburg
The House of Oldenburg is a North German dynasty and one of Europe's most influential Royal Houses with branches that rule or have ruled in Denmark, Russia, Greece, Norway, Schleswig, Holstein, Oldenburg and Sweden...
(he was a direct male-line descendant of Christian III of Denmark
Christian III of Denmark
Christian III reigned as king of Denmark and Norway. He was the eldest son of King Frederick I and Anna of Brandenburg.-Childhood:...
). He was also an agnatic descendant of Hedwig of Schauenburg (countess of Oldenburg), mother of the first King Christian I of Denmark
Christian I of Denmark
Christian I was a Danish monarch, king of Denmark , Norway and Sweden , under the Kalmar Union. In Sweden his short tenure as monarch was preceded by regents, Jöns Bengtsson Oxenstierna and Erik Axelsson Tott and succeeded by regent Kettil Karlsson Vasa...
, whose sons were the "Semi-Salic" heirs of her childless brother Count Adolf VIII of Holstein
Adolf VIII of Holstein
Adolf VIII of Holstein , Duke of Southern Jutland , i.e. Slesvig, and Count of Holstein, was the mightiest vassal of the Danish realm.-Background:...
, who died in 1459, the last Schauenburg Duke of Schleswig and Count of Holstein. As such, Christian was eligible to succeed in the twin duchies of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, but was not first in the line.
Christian was also a great-grandson of King Frederick V of Denmark
Frederick V of Denmark
Frederick V was king of Denmark and Norway from 1746, son of Christian VI of Denmark and Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.-Early life:...
, through his mother Louise Caroline, Duchess of Lyksborg, whose mother Luise (Landgravine of Hesse) was King Frederik's third daughter. Christian, orphaned young, grew up in the Danish royal household under the tutelage of his maternal aunt Queen Marie Sophie Frederikke, wife of Frederick VI of Denmark
Frederick VI of Denmark
Frederick VI reigned as King of Denmark , and as king of Norway .-Regent of Denmark:Frederick's parents were King Christian VII and Caroline Matilda of Wales...
.
Opportunities opening in the Danish succession
Louise was very much pre-occupied with the succession of the Crown of Denmark from early childhood. At the time of the accession of Christian VIII, 1839, the line of succession and chief cognatic heirs was as follows:- Crown Prince Frederik, later Frederick VII of DenmarkFrederick VII of DenmarkFrederick VII was a King of Denmark. He reigned from 1848 until his death. He was the last Danish monarch of the older Royal branch of the House of Oldenburg and also the last king of Denmark to rule as an absolute monarch...
, only son of the king, born 1808, already once divorced and yet childless, who died in 1863.
- Hereditary Prince Frederik Ferdinand of DenmarkFerdinand of Denmarkalign=right|Ferdinand of Denmark, Prince Frederik Ferdinand, was a member of the Danish Royal Family, a grandson of King Frederick V....
, youngest brother of the king, born 1792, married over 10 years and childless. He also died in 1863, some months before his nephew the king.
The Crown Prince and the Hereditary Prince were the only surviving agnatic
Agnatic seniority
Agnatic seniority is a patrilineal principle of inheritance where the order of succession to the throne prefers the monarch's younger brother over the monarch's own sons. A monarch's children succeed only after the males of the elder generation have all been exhausted...
heirs. After them, provisions of the succession order (Lex Regia of 1655) promulgated by Frederick III allowed succession through female line, and the law presumably specified in favor of closest relative of the last monarch.
The female lines following are arranged according to the degree of proximity to the reigning monarch, King Christian VIII:
- the King's elder surviving sister, Juliane of Denmark, Dowager Landgravine of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld, born 1788, widowed and childless, who died in 1850. Soon after her death, Louise's family arranged the succession line in Louise's favor by means of renunciations and cedings.
- The King's youngest sister, Charlotte of Denmark, Landgravine Wilhelm of Hesse, born 1789 (Louise's own mother). She had several children, who are listed below.
- The King's first cousin once removed, the elder daughter of the deceased king Frederick VI, Caroline of Denmark, born 1793, wife of Ferdinand of Denmark (see above), married over 10 years and childless, who died in 1881.
- The King's first cousin once removed, the youngest daughter of the late King Frederick VI, Wilhelmine Marie of Denmark, born 1808, divorced wife of Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark (above), and married to Duke Charles of Lyksborg. She was childless, but at the age of 40, was not past childbearing years, though believed to be barren. In 1850s, it became clear that she would never have children. She died in 1891.
- The King's first cousin Louise Auguste of DenmarkLouise Auguste of DenmarkLouise Auguste of Denmark, Duchess of Augustenborg or Louise Augusta, was a Danish princess, officially daughter of King Christian VII of Denmark and Queen Caroline Mathilde...
, Duchess of Augustenborg, legally the daughter of the late King Christian VII and sister of late King Frederick VI, born in 1771, died in 1843. She had several children, who are listed below.
All other cognatic heirs were descendants of deceased Princesses of Denmark, themselves members of other dynasties, and rather alien to Denmark. Ancestresses of many of them had renounced their rights when marrying "abroad". Some of closest of those lines were the following:
- Gustav, Prince of Vasa, former Crown Prince of Sweden, grandson of Princess Sophia Magdalena of DenmarkSophia Magdalena of DenmarkSofia Magdalena of Denmark and Norway was a Queen consort of Sweden as the spouse of Gustav III of Sweden....
, the eldest daughter of Frederick V and wife of King Gustav III of SwedenGustav III of SwedenGustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
, mother of King Gustav IV Adolf of SwedenGustav IV Adolf of SwedenGustav IV Adolf of Sweden also Gustav Adolph was King of Sweden from 1792 until his abdication in 1809. He was the son of Gustav III of Sweden and his queen consort Sophia Magdalena, eldest daughter of Frederick V of Denmark and his first wife Louise of Great Britain. He was the last Swedish...
. Queen Carola of SaxonyCarola of VasaCarola of Vasa was a titular princess of Sweden, and the queen consort of Saxony...
was his only surviving child and wife of King Albert I of SaxonyAlbert I of SaxonyAlbert was a King of Saxony and a member of the House of Wettin.He was the eldest son of Prince John, Albert (full name: Frederick Augustus Albert Anton Ferdinand Joseph Karl Maria Baptist Nepomuk Wilhelm Xaver Georg Fidelis) (Dresden, 23 April 1828 – Schloss Sibyllenort (Szczodre), 19 June...
, but she died childless in 1907.
- Grand Duchess Sophie of Baden, the eldest daughter of Gustav IV Adolf, was born Princess of Sweden and married Leopold I, Grand Duke of Baden. She produced children. Prince Gustav and Sophia and their issue were followed by their sister Grand Duchess Cecilia of Oldenburg.
- William II, Elector of HesseWilliam II, Elector of Hesse-Biography:William was the eldest surviving son of William I, Elector of Hesse and Wilhelmina Caroline of Denmark and Norway. He succeeded as Elector of Hesse on his father's death in 1821.-Marriage and issue:On 13 February 1797 in Berlin, William married Princess Augusta of Prussia, fourth...
, 1777–1847, son of Princess Caroline of Denmark, second daughter of Frederick V. He had numerous children and siblings.
- Prince Frederick of HessePrince Frederick of HesseLandgrave Frederick III of Hesse-Kassel , born Prince Frederick of Hesse, was a younger member of the dynasty that ruled the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel and a Danish general....
, born in 1771 in Gottorp, eldest son of Princess Louise of Denmark, third and youngest daughter of Frederick V. A widower of a morganatic wife, he died in 1845 without legitimate children of sufficiently high rank to claim the throne of Denmark.
- Marie Sophie FrederikkeMarie Sophie of Hesse-Kasselthumb|Queen Marie Sophie portrayed by [[Cornelius Høyer]] Marie Sophie Frederikke of Hesse-Kassel was Queen Consort of Denmark and Norway. She also served as Regent of Denmark in 1814–1815.-Background:...
, Queen Dowager of Denmark, born 1767, née Princess of Hesse, eldest daughter of Princess Louise of Denmark, third and youngest daughter of Frederik V. She died in 1852. Her children are listed above, as they were both Princesses of Denmark.
- Juliane Luise Amalie, Princess of Hesse, born 1773, daughter of Princess Louise of Denmark, third and youngest daughter of Frederick V. She was unmarried and died in 1860.
- Louise Caroline of HesseLouise Caroline of Hesse-KasselPrincess Louise Caroline of Hesse-Kassel was the consort of Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and the matriarch of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg which would eventually become the ruling house of the kingdoms of Denmark, Greece,...
, born in 1789 in Gottorp. Dowager Duchess of Lyksborg as widow of Duke William of Lyksborg, she was the youngest daughter of Princess Louise of Denmark, herself the third and youngest daughter of Frederick V. She had several children, who are listed below.
After them, the next cognatic heirs would have been descendants of daughters and younger sons of predecessors of Frederick V.
There were three thriving young families with chief potential to inherit the throne of Denmark and had children to continue the line of succession. These three families were, in order of proximity with the reigning monarch, the Hesse, the Augustenborg, and then the Lyksborg families. Only two of the families (Augustenborg and Hesse) had mothers who were Princesses of Denmark. Two of these, however, i.e. Augustenborg and Lyksborg, were agnatic descendants of ancient kings of Denmark.
Augustenborg
The Augustenborg family was the next senior agnatic branch of Schleswig-Holstein and of the royal house of Oldenburg, immediately after the male line of the then king of Denmark.They were the issue of Louise Auguste of Denmark
Louise Auguste of Denmark
Louise Auguste of Denmark, Duchess of Augustenborg or Louise Augusta, was a Danish princess, officially daughter of King Christian VII of Denmark and Queen Caroline Mathilde...
, sister of Frederick VI:
1. Christian (aka Christian August), Duke of Augustenborg, born in 1798 in Copenhagen. In 1820 he married Countess Lovisa-Sophie Danneskjold-Samsøe (1797–1867), a Danish noblewoman and relative of the kings of Denmark who belonged to a bastard branch of House of Oldenburg. Duke Christian, who in 1848 became a rebel, later sold his rights to the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein to Denmark in aftermath of the Treaty of London (1851), but later renounced his rights to the Duchy of Schleswig-Holstein in favor of his son Frederick August. He was the brother-in-law of King Christian VIII and a nephew of King Frederick VI. Duke Christian August died in 1869. He produced several children:
- Frederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-HolsteinFrederick VIII, Duke of Schleswig-HolsteinDuke Frederick VIII , succeeded nominally as the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein from 1863 while Prussia actually took overlordship and real administrative power.-Life:...
, born in 1829 in Augustenborg. He was nephew of Caroline Amalie, the incumbent queen consort of Denmark, and "nephew-in-law" of the king himself, as well as a great-nephew of Frederick VI. He had a claim in 1863 to succeed King Frederick VII of Denmark as Duke of Schleswig-Holstein. He became father of one surviving son and a number of daughters and died in 1880. - ChristianPrince Christian of Schleswig-HolsteinPrince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein was a minor German prince who became a member of the British Royal Family through his marriage to Princess Helena of the United Kingdom , the fifth child and third daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of...
(1831–1917), who later (1866) married Princess Helena of the United KingdomPrincess Helena of the United KingdomPrincess Helena was a member of the British Royal Family, the third daughter and fifth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert....
, a daughter of Queen Victoria. He settled in England. - Louise Auguste (1823–1872)
- Caroline Amelie (1826–1901)
- Caroline Christiane Auguste Emilie Henriette Elisabeth (1833–1917)
2. Friedrich Emil August, born in 1800 in Kiel. In 1829 he married Countess Henriette Danneskjold-Samsøe (1806–1858), a Danish noblewoman and relative of Kings of Denmark who belonged to a bastard branch of House of Oldenburg. Later, he was created Prinz von Noer (1864) and died 1865. He had two children:
- Friedrich Christian Karl August (Gottorp 1830–Noer 1881)
- Luise Karoline Henriette Auguste Gräfin von Noer (Schleswig 1836–1866)
3. Caroline Amalie of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, born in 1796 in Copenhagen. She married King Christian VIII of Denmark
Christian VIII of Denmark
Christian VIII , was king of Denmark from 1839 to 1848 and, as Christian Frederick, king of Norway in 1814. He was the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway and Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, born in 1786 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen...
in 1815, the monarch, who died in 1848. She died childless in 1881 as the Queen Dowager of Denmark.
Glucksborg
The Glucksburg family was a younger agnatic branch of Schleswig-Holstein and of the Royal House of Oldenburg. They were children of Louise Caroline of Hesse, a granddaughter of Frederick V of Denmark:1. (Karl, Carl) Charles, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Karl, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Karl of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg was the second Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
, born in Gottorp in 1813. In 1838 he married Princess Wilhelmine of Denmark
Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark
Princess Vilhelmine Marie of Denmark and Norway was the youngest daughter of Frederick VI of Denmark and his wife and first cousin Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel...
(see above). He died childless in 1878 in Luisenlund
Stiftung Louisenlund
Stiftung Louisenlund is a privately run boarding school for boys and girls in Güby, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The schools main building is in Louisenlund Castle, which was built by Hermann von Motz between 1772 and 1776 for Landgrave Charles of Hesse as a gift for his wife Princess Louise of...
.
2. Frederick (Friedrich), Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Friedrich, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
Friedrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg was the third Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
(Schleswig 1814–Schleswig 1885), who married Princess Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe
Princess Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe
Princess Adelheid of Schaumburg-Lippe was a member of the House of Schaumburg-Lippe and a Princess of Schaumburg-Lippe by birth...
. The current Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein descend from him.
3. William (Wilhelm) (1816–1893)
4. Christian (1818–1906), who in the 1840's became Hereditary Prince of Denmark (though his brothers did not become such) and in 1863 became King Christian IX of Denmark. He married Louise of Hesse-Kassel in 1842.
5. Julius (1824–1903)
6. Johann (Hans) (1825–1911)
7. Nikolaus (1828–1849)
8. Louise Marie Frederikke (1810–1869), married a Mr von Lasperg in 1837.
9. Frederikke Caroline Juliane (1811–1902), married the Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg in 1834.
10. Luise (1820–1894)
Hesse
They were the issue of Charlotte of Denmark, sister of Christian VIII, siblings of Louise herself:1. An only son Frederik (Friedrich Wilhelm Georg Adolf, Landgrave of Hesse) who was born in 1820 in Kassel. In 1851, he renounced his rights to Denmark in favor of Louise. He later married twice, and with his second wife Anna of Prussia produced several children, beginning in the 1850's. He died in 1884. His one son was Frederick Charles, Elected King of Finland
2. Marie Louise Charlotte, born in 1814 in Copenhagen. In 1832 he married a Prince of Anhalt-Dessau. She died in 1895 leaving children and grandchildren. She is said to have renounced her rights to Denmark to Louise in 1851 at the latest.
3. Louise Wilhelmine Frederikke Caroline Auguste Julie, i.e. Louise herself.
4. Auguste Sophie Frederikke Marie Caroline Julie, who was born in 1823 in Copenhagen. She later married a Scandinavian nobleman, Baron Blixen-Finecke. She died 1873.
Louise's brother Frederik of Hesse renounced his rights to the Danish succession in 1851 in favor of Louise, as put by Danish historians: "after lengthy negotiations where their father William took active part". Frederik succeeded in 1875 as the head of House of Hesse
House of Hesse
The House of Hesse is a European royal dynasty from the region of Hesse, originally and still formally the House of Brabant.-History:The origins of the House of Hesse begin with the marriage of Sophie of Thuringia, daughter of Louis IV, Landgrave of Thuringia and Elizabeth of Hungary with Henry...
, when the senior branch of Hesse-Kassel went extinct with the death of the former monarch Frederick William, Elector of Hesse
Frederick William, Elector of Hesse
Frederick William I was, between 1847 and 1866, the last Elector of Hesse-Kassel .- Life :...
– they assumed the historical name "of Hesse and Brabant". Landgrave Frederik's third son Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse was in 1918 elected as King of Finland.
Converging the succession rights
Denmark's crown was hereditary, according to the Lex Regia, among the descendants of Frederick III of DenmarkFrederick III of Denmark
Frederick III was king of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. He instituted absolute monarchy in Denmark and Norway in 1660, confirmed by law in 1665 as the first in western historiography. He was born the second-eldest son of Christian IV of Denmark and Anne Catherine of Brandenburg...
(who was the first hereditary monarch of Denmark – before him the kingdom was officially elective). The agnatic
Patrilineality
Patrilineality is a system in which one belongs to one's father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritance of property, names or titles through the male line as well....
descendants of Frederick III became extinct when Frederick VII died, and at that point, the succession law promulgated by Frederick III provided for succession by male-preference primogeniture
Primogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
. Different camps, within and without Denmark, supported different candidates for the throne. The question was solved by an election and a separate law to confirm the new successor.
Some rights belonged also to the line of Glucksburg, a cadet branch
Cadet branch
Cadet branch is a term in genealogy to describe the lineage of the descendants of the younger sons of a monarch or patriarch. In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets – titles, realms, fiefs, property and income – have...
of the royal Oldenburg dynasty. They were also heirs of Frederick III through an ancestress who was a daughter of King Frederick V of Denmark
Frederick V of Denmark
Frederick V was king of Denmark and Norway from 1746, son of Christian VI of Denmark and Sophia Magdalen of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.-Early life:...
. Moreover they were eligible to succeed to the Duchy of Holstein, which meant the twin duchies of Schleswig-Holstein. Prince Christian was of this lineage, but not the eldest son, nor did the claim of this branch to either Denmark or Holstein place them first in line for any throne.
Still, Prince Christian had been a foster "grandson" of the sonless royal couple Frederick VI and his queen, Marie (Marie Sophie Frederikke of Hesse), thus he was known to the royal court and familiar with the traditions of recent monarchs. Christian was a great-nephew of Queen Marie and a descendant of a first cousin of Frederick VI. He was brought up as Danish, having lived in Danish-speaking lands of the royal dynasty, and was not attached to Germany. Although these factors meant nothing legally, they made Christian an attractive potential candidate for the throne from the Danish viewpoint.
Louise's father, Landgrave Frederick of Hesse-Kassel, a non-reiging German prince, had chosen to become a Danish military officer. He had been one (and perhaps the foremost) of the candidates considered by Christian VIII of Denmark to succeed to the Danish throne if the latter's male line died out. Landgrave Frederick was of nearly Danish upbringing, having lived all his life in Denmark.
When Christian wed Louise, daughter of one of the closest female relatives of Frederick VII, the marriage combined two potential claims to Denmark's throne and strengthened both. As a niece of King Christian VIII
Christian VIII of Denmark
Christian VIII , was king of Denmark from 1839 to 1848 and, as Christian Frederick, king of Norway in 1814. He was the eldest son of Hereditary Prince Frederick of Denmark and Norway and Sophia Frederica of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, born in 1786 at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen...
, Louise was not the rightful heir to his crown, but had a stronger claim to it than either Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg or the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg. As Louise and Christian had married, Louise's mother, brother, and elder sister, all princes and princesses of Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, renounced their Danish succession rights in favour of Louise and her husband. Prince Christian's wife thus became the closest female heiress of Christian VIII, and later of Frederick VII.
In 1847, Prince Christian was, with the approval of Europe's Great Powers, chosen as successor to the Danish throne by Christian VIII (who did not expect his only surviving son, the future Frederik VII
Frederick VII of Denmark
Frederick VII was a King of Denmark. He reigned from 1848 until his death. He was the last Danish monarch of the older Royal branch of the House of Oldenburg and also the last king of Denmark to rule as an absolute monarch...
, to father dynastic sons). This choice of heir was made more dynastically palatable by the fact that, thanks to the mass renunciations of the Hesses, Christian's wife Louise became the heiress eventual to the crown, meaning that the couple's children would be heirs to the throne both by right of international treaty and by compliance with the Lex Regia. This resolved the succession to the Danish crown, but not Denmark's claim on the twin duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. German Holstein's historic law of succession was Salic and could not so easily be reconciled with Christian's claim so long as the Augustenborgs survived and Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
offered itself as the international champion of German nationalism. The result of this conflict was the (Second War of Schleswig
Second War of Schleswig
The Second Schleswig War was the second military conflict as a result of the Schleswig-Holstein Question. It began on 1 February 1864, when Prussian forces crossed the border into Schleswig.Denmark fought Prussia and Austria...
).
When Frederick died in 1863, Christian took the throne as Christian IX
Christian IX of Denmark
Christian IX was King of Denmark from 16 November 1863 to 29 January 1906.Growing up as a prince of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a junior branch of the House of Oldenburg which had ruled Denmark since 1448, Christian was originally not in the immediate line of succession to the Danish...
Queen
Louise rescinded her succession rights to her spouse in 1851. She became Crown Princess in 1853 and Queen consort in 1863. Louise had a tense relationship with King Frederick VII, whose marriage to the low-born and disreputable Louise RasmussenLouise Rasmussen
Louise Christine Rasmussen, also known as Countess Danner , was a Danish Ballet dancer and stage actor. She was the mistress and later the morganatic spouse of King Frederick VII of Denmark...
she did not approve of. Her own marriage is believed to have been happy, and the couple became strongly attached to each other during the years of succession struggle. Louise was devoutedly loyal to her spouse, and he is said to have relied on her intelligence, judgment and psychological strength, all of which were considered to be superior to his own.
The couple continued the simple and intimate family life they had grown accustomed to after they became king and queen. When Louise's daughter Thyra gave birth to an illegitimate child after her relationship with a military officer in 1871, Queen Louise arranged for the whole affair to be kept a secret from the public. Queen Louise lived a life isolated from the people and did not seek recognition from, or a relationship with, the public, but rather focused on energetic family politics, and made much effort in arranging dynastic marriages for her children. The brilliant matches arranged for her children gave the Danish dynasty international status. Her annual family gatherings at Bernstorff or Fredensborg drew more attention every year and made her a popular symbol of family life.
Louise was active as a patronnes of a large number of charitable organisations already as a crown princess: in 1862, she founded Louisestiftelsen, where orphan girls were brought up to a life as servants, something which illustrated her conservative ideas. She was interested in music and painting and financed many artists. Some of her own paintings were exhibited and given as gifts to members of other dynasties. During her last years she became deaf, and two nurses from a nursing school she had founded saw to her needs. Louise was Queen of Denmark for 35 years, longer than any other Danish queen consort before her.
Children and Louise becoming "Grandmother of Europe"
| Name | Birth | Death | Spouse | Children |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frederick VIII of Denmark Frederick VIII of Denmark Frederick VIII was King of Denmark from 1906 to 1912.-Early life:Frederick was born on 3 June 1843 in the Yellow Palace in Copenhagen as Prince Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, a junior male line of the House of Oldenburg descended from Christian III of Denmark and who had... |
3 June 1843 | 14 May 1912 | Princess Lovisa of Sweden Lovisa of Sweden |align=right|Louise of Sweden was Queen of Denmark as the spouse of King Frederick VIII of Denmark. She was the only daughter of King Charles XV of Sweden and Louise of the Netherlands .-Early life:... |
Christian X of Denmark Christian X of Denmark Christian X was King of Denmark from 1912 to 1947 and the only King of Iceland between 1918 and 1944.... Haakon VII of Norway Haakon VII of Norway Haakon VII , known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the personal union with Sweden. He was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg... Louise, Princess Frederick of Schaumburg-Lippe Prince Harald of Denmark Prince Harald of Denmark Prince Harald of Denmark was a member of the Danish Royal Family. He was the fourth child and third son of Frederick VIII of Denmark and his wife, Princess Louise of Sweden and Norway, and thus brother to Christian X of Denmark.The prince served in the Royal Danish Army for most of his life, and... Princess Ingeborg, Duchess of Västergötland Princess Ingeborg of Denmark Princess Ingeborg of Denmark was a Danish princess and a Swedish princess consort... Princess Thyra of Denmark Prince Gustav of Denmark Prince Gustav of Denmark Prince Gustav of Denmark and Iceland Copenhagen, 4 March 1887 – Egelund, 5 October 1944) was the seventh child and fourth son of Frederick VIII of Denmark and his wife, Princess Louise of Sweden and Norway.... Princess Dagmar, Mrs. Jørgen Castenskiold Princess Dagmar of Denmark Princess Dagmar of Denmark and Iceland was the youngest child and fourth daughter of Frederick VIII of Denmark and his wife, Princess Louise of Sweden and Norway.... |
| Alexandra of Denmark Alexandra of Denmark Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom... |
1 December 1844 | 20 November 1925 | Edward VII of the United Kingdom Edward VII of the United Kingdom Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910... |
Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale George V of the United Kingdom George V of the United Kingdom George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936.... Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife The Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife was the third child and the eldest daughter of King Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark... Princess Victoria of the United Kingdom Maud, Queen of Norway Maud of Wales Princess Maud of Wales was Queen of Norway as spouse of King Haakon VII. She was a member of the British Royal Family as the youngest daughter of Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark and granddaughter of Queen Victoria and also of Christian IX of Denmark. She was the younger sister of George V... Prince Alexander John of Wales Prince Alexander John of Wales Prince Alexander John Charles Albert of Wales was the youngest son and sixth child of Prince Albert Edward, Prince of Wales and his wife Princess Alexandra, Princess of Wales and grandson of Queen Victoria and Christian IX of Denmark.-Life:Prince Alexander John Charles Albert of Wales was born... |
| George I of Greece George I of Greece George I was King of Greece from 1863 to 1913. Originally a Danish prince, George was only 17 years old when he was elected king by the Greek National Assembly, which had deposed the former king Otto. His nomination was both suggested and supported by the Great Powers... |
24 December 1845 | 18 March 1913 | Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia | Constantine I of Greece Constantine I of Greece Constantine I was King of Greece from 1913 to 1917 and from 1920 to 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army during the unsuccessful Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and led the Greek forces during the successful Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, in which Greece won Thessaloniki and doubled in... Prince George of Greece and Denmark Prince George of Greece and Denmark align=right| Prince George of Greece and Denmark was the second son of King George I of the Hellenes and Grand Duchess Olga, and is remembered chiefly for having saved the life of a future Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II... Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark , of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, was the fourth child and third son of George I, King of the Hellenes, and of Queen Olga. He was known as "Greek Nicky" in the family to distinguish him from his cousin Czar Nicholas II of Russia... Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna of Russia Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, was the seventh child and fourth son of King George I of Greece and Olga Constantinovna of Russia. He was a grandson of Christian IX of Denmark.He began military training at an early age, and was... Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark was a member of the Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg Royal House.-Family background:... |
| Dagmar of Denmark | 26 November 1847 | 13 October 1928 | Tsar Tsar Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism... Alexander III of Russia Alexander III of Russia Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov , historically remembered as Alexander III or Alexander the Peacemaker reigned as Emperor of Russia from until his death on .-Disposition:... |
Tsar Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II of Russia Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until... Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich of Russia Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich of Russia Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich of Russia was the infant son of Alexander III and Empress Marie of Russia. At the time of his birth, his father, as the eldest son of Tsar Alexander II, was titled as the Tsarevich of Russia... Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia, , was the third son of Alexander III and Empress Marie of Russia. He was named George after his mother's younger brother, King George I of Greece... Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia was a daughter of Tsar Alexander III of Russia and the elder of Tsar Nicholas II two sisters. She married her cousin Grand Duke Alexander Mikailovich of Russia, with whom she had seven children.... Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia was the youngest son of Emperor Alexander III of Russia.At the time of his birth, his paternal grandfather was still the reigning Emperor of All the Russias. Michael was fourth-in-line to the throne following his father and elder brothers Nicholas and... Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia was the youngest child of Emperor Alexander III of Russia. Her older brother was Tsar Nicholas II.... |
| Thyra of Denmark Princess Thyra of Denmark Princess Thyra of Denmark was the youngest daughter of Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel.-Early life:Thyra was the sister of Frederik VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, George I of Greece and... |
29 September 1853 | 26 February 1933 | Ernst August of Hanover, 3rd Duke of Cumberland | Marie Louise, Princess Maximilian of Baden Princess Marie Louise of Hanover and Cumberland Princess Marie Louise of Hanover and Cumberland , Princess of Great Britain and Ireland, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg... Prince George William of Hanover and Cumberland Prince George William of Hanover and Cumberland Prince George William of Hanover , Prince of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the eldest son of Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover... Alexandra, Grand Duchess of Mecklenberg-Scherwin Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland , Princess of Great Britain and Ireland, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland (German: Alexandra Louise Marie Olga Elisabeth Therese Vera Prinzessin von Hannover und Cumberland), Princess of Great Britain and... Princess Olga of Hanover and Cumberland Princess Olga of Hanover and Cumberland Princess Olga of Hanover and Cumberland , Princess of Great Britain and Ireland, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg .-Biography:Olga was the youngest daughter of Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of... Prince Christian of Hanover and Cumberland Prince Christian of Hanover and Cumberland Prince Christian of Hanover Prince of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg was the second eldest son of Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover and Princess Thyra of Denmark , the... Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick |
| Prince Valdemar of Denmark Prince Valdemar of Denmark Prince Valdemar of Denmark, GCTE was a member of the Danish Royal Family, the youngest son of Christian IX of Denmark and his wife Luise of Hesse-Kassel... |
27 October 1858 | 14 January 1939 | Princess Marie of Orléans | Aage, Count of Rosenborg Prince Axel of Denmark Prince Axel of Denmark Axel Christian Georg, Prince of Denmark and Iceland was a Danish and Icelandic prince.Prince Axel was the second son of Prince Valdemar of Denmark and his wife, Princess Marie d'Orléans.... Erik, Count of Rosenborg Viggo, Count of Rosenborg Margaret, Princess René of Bourbon-Parma |
The great dynastic success of Louise's six children was to a great extent not the accomplishment of Christian IX himself, but a result of her own ambitions. Some have compared her dynastic capabilities with the those of Queen Victoria.
On her passing in 1898, she was interred in Roskilde Cathedral
Roskilde Cathedral
Roskilde Cathedral , in the city of Roskilde on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark, is a cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Denmark. The first Gothic cathedral to be built of brick, it encouraged the spread of the Brick Gothic style throughout Northern Europe...
near Copenhagen.
Louise's nephew Prince Frederick Charles of Hesse, married to a granddaughter of Queen Victoria and of German Emperor Wilhelm I, was elected King Charles of Finland in 1918. He never took up the position.
Ancestry
External links
- Landgravial House of Hesse-Kassel
- Royal House of Denmark
- Ducal House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg
- How Christian IX received the succession to the throne of Denmark
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